It has been a long and crazy week. I was up and having coffee around seven o’clock last Thursday. I turned on the television and could hardly believe what I was hearing and seeing.
Lyn and I know people that are employed by FedEx and also had family members that have been employees. It took me a little time to understand the difference in the two FedEx facilities on the westside near the airport. None of our friends were involved in the tragedy.
I was impressed with the news coverage and follow-up. Lots of people have much healing to accomplish. I know that there already is help standing by. If you know someone that could use some assistance, I was reminded yesterday that people can simply dial 211 and get started.
On Saturday afternoon, I heard about someone firing a gun inside the Walmart near Beech Grove. That is the Walmart that I have generally visited over the past years especially during the years when I was working at Beech Grove City Schools.
I was once again stunned to hear about something like this happening on the Southside. No one was seriously hurt, but I am still very concerned about people carrying guns in public. I have also noticed a large increase in the amount of aggressive driving, and it sorta scares me when I think of those drivers who might be armed.
We have noticed that our dog, Stuart, has been acting quite differently during the FedEx and Walmart incidents. Many dogs, including Stuart, can notice quickly when their humans are sick or upset. I’m sure he noticed when Lyn and I were getting information about the shootings. He wasn’t eating normally, leaving his food sitting for hours and sleeping a lot. He had his yearly physical last week and was given a couple of injections.
Last Saturday afternoon, Stuart and I were invited to Manor Care Nursing Facility to have a second short visit in the last couple of weeks with his “girlfriend” Christi. Stuart was perfectly calm with Christi. Stuart sat on my lap with Christi in her chair next to us so she could pet him. The visit seemed to help Stuart, too.
When we got home, Stuart gobbled down some of his food, sat up on his couch, looked around, and enjoyed the afternoon. And then he came over and sat on my lap, as usual.